One Piece: It's always been you

Chapter 167 Only Thinking About the Other Party

The atmosphere was a bit tense between the two people sitting opposite each other on the sofa; both wore cold expressions. Katakuri felt he had nothing to say to Law, and he didn't seem inclined to speak. Law, on the other hand, was sizing up Katakuri.

This is the second time Law has seen Katakuri face to face. The first time was five years ago when he brought the unconscious and seriously injured Nathan. This time, however, Nathan is fine.

"You seem to have something to say to me?" Katakuri felt Law's scrutiny, just like five years ago when he brought Yu to find Law; Law was scrutinizing him then as well. Only back then, his eyes held wariness and anger. This time, there seemed to be a hint of friendliness?

Seeing Katakuri speak, Law suddenly became interested. He stopped supporting himself on his knees and leaned back on the sofa, casually draping his arms over the backrest. This created a slightly different atmosphere between them. "You actually actually took the initiative to talk to a nobody like me, a mere pirate."

Katakuri frowned at these words, recalling the cunning and disdain that Yu had occasionally mentioned about Law before, which was indeed true. "At sea, you are, but here, you are Yu's younger brother."

"..." Hmph, boring.

"And, I want to thank you for what happened back then." Katakuri was referring to the time he stabbed Yu. If he hadn't found Law's whereabouts, Katakuri wouldn't have known who would be the safest person to entrust Yu to.

Bakara arrived with a tray at this moment, taking out the items and placing them on the coffee table. She didn't walk far, but instead sat down on another single sofa. Miss Yu had never mentioned what happened back then, and Bakara was quite curious.

Luo understood what he was saying, but he felt he hadn't played a significant role in that matter. "Nai-san actually knew all about it."

Katakuri thought Law was right; Yu knew that he had brought Yu to Law. "I didn't hide my face when I brought her to see you."

"That's not what I was talking about." Law curled the corners of his mouth, and suddenly his impression of Katakuri improved a little.

Katakuri was even more confused now.

“Your extraordinary Observation Haki should allow you to sense anyone, just like at the fountain, you already knew about Ace and me,” Law explained.

That was true. Although Katakuri's view was blocked by Yu, Ace and Law, who were watching them from not far away, had indeed noticed them long ago. Katakuri gestured for him to continue.

“Your plan from five years ago was known to Nai-san long ago.” As he finished speaking, Law saw the emotion he wanted in Katakuri’s eyes. “You really were completely unguarded against Nai-san.”

Law's words stirred up a storm within Katakuri. Like a bomb, they prevented him from thinking calmly, but ironically, this bomb blew up a wall—a wall that knew the truth.

No wonder Yu was able to withstand the earth dragon back then, and even though she was betrayed by him, she didn't hate him. It turns out she knew all along, and she knew all along that he would take action against her.

"I never understood why, even after you caused Naisang so much harm, she still didn't hate you, and even defended you when I criticized you." Naisang isn't someone who's blinded by love; in fact, she's very clear about her likes and dislikes. It's impossible for her to feel no hatred towards someone like that. Especially the disappointment in her eyes when she was first awakened—it wasn't fake.

It wasn't until later that Nathan told him the truth. "You still have some conscience towards Nathan, knowing to plan ahead and send him away safely, otherwise I would have dissected you sooner or later." Law told him everything Nathan had told him and Katakuri, "But couldn't you have perfected the plan? Did Nathan have to be so badly injured?"

Katakuri froze, stunned by what Law said. "That wound wasn't part of my plan." His original plan was for that attack, seemingly delivered with all his might, to ultimately pierce the enemy and push Yu into the sea. However, doing so carried a great risk—his mother would discover he was trying to let Yu go.

The consequence of being discovered would be being considered a traitor, and the only result would be death. But at least Yu was alive.

Katakuri planned with this in mind; it was the worst possible outcome for him. He just didn't expect Yu to know all this, so she accepted the Earth Dragon's attack, risking her life, to preserve his position in Whole Cake Island and the trust he held in his mother's heart.

Bakara listened with great interest. No wonder Miss Yu kept rejecting the people she arranged; it turned out there was someone willing to sacrifice for her, and it was mutual affection.

Yu, who was in the inner room, had no idea what was happening outside, nor did she know that Law's words made Katakuri feel even more guilty and moved towards her.

Law had no idea what he was thinking, but he seemed to be in a bad mood. Actually, Law had always been puzzled by Nathan's change in mood. When he was first awakened, his dejected mood and heartbroken look didn't seem fake. But later he was fine again, and even told Law not to keep looking so gloomy and talking about dissecting Katakuri.

If Yu knew Luo's doubts, she would probably explain it to herself.

Because I didn't know Katakuri's plan at the time, and to be honest, I really misunderstood Katakuri back then, and I was resigned to my fate and prepared to die.

Actually, You didn't sleep well those few nights; you could say she couldn't sleep at all. Her intuition told her that this tea party was too sudden, and it was also strange that she was asked to prepare desserts.

Katakuri would always leave early in the evenings, saying he had things to do, but his eyes were darting away.

Yuu had actually discovered that Katakuri was hiding something from her, but trusting him, she wouldn't deliberately find out. However, the night before the incident, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep, so she got up to go out for some fresh air.

The so-called "getting some fresh air" was just a matter of leaving the room and walking to a spot with a window in the hallway. After all, the cake castle was huge, and it was too easy to get lost, so Yu didn't dare to go too far. A room in the hallway had its door slightly ajar, letting in a soft light. Yu wasn't interested at first, but when she heard Katakuri's voice, she couldn't resist going closer.

Besides Katakuri's voice, there were also Brulee and Praline's voices. Yu found it strange; what was Katakuri discussing with them so late at night? Why wasn't he looking for Perospero or Smoothie?

It was Praline's voice coming from inside the room. She said, "The arrangements at the bottom of the sea are all made."

Katakuri continued, "We must make sure that nothing goes wrong."

Yu hid behind the door, so his expression couldn't be seen, but from Katakuri's slightly serious tone, Yu assumed that the tea party was just a pretext for an enemy attack. As the leader of the Three Sweet Commanders, Katakuri had to be on the defensive, and his meeting with Praline was also for the sake of underwater defense.

Brulee's next words made Yu realize that he hadn't been wrong: "But brother, have you thought about the consequences? Mom will definitely be angry with you, and this time she will definitely not let you off the hook."

“Then I’ll bear it.” Even through the door, Yu could feel Katakuri’s determination.

It seems the threat facing Whole Cake Island is quite significant, and the task assigned to Katakuri is very heavy, allowing no room for error. No wonder he didn't intend to let her know.

Yu didn't hear what was said after that. The sound of patrolling chess soldiers came from the corridor, and Yu ran away and hid.

It wasn't until the next day that Yu discovered the threat she perceived was nonexistent; it was actually Big Mom trying to get rid of her. Furthermore, Katakuri had already made his choice, so the moment the Earth Dragon was raised and pointed at her, she thought only of death.

Later, when Sayuran told her the truth, she realized that Katakuri wasn't entirely on Big Mom's side; he was trying to save her. Recalling what she had overheard, she guessed that Katakuri's anger stemmed from Big Mom discovering his plan and letting her go.

So the last thing she heard, "Then I'll bear it," meant that Katakuri would bear his mother's anger alone, not that Yuu would bear it.

Thinking about it this way, You was overjoyed. She was almost ready to rush up to the old lady and brag, "Your son chose me! He doesn't care about you at all!"